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Drive Toward a Cure’s Music & Motion Returns to Reno
Blending Enthusiasts with Celebrities and Motorsport Champs to Support Parkinson’s
Rachel and Davy Jones earned BOTH the coveted ‘Hagerty’s Choice’ and ‘Museum Choice’ awards for their 1971 Fiat 500.
Greg Crescimanno of Minden, NV enjoys the winning 1971 Fiat 500 at the Drive Toward a Cure ‘Music & Motion’ community day at the National Automobile Museum supporting Parkinson’s.
Reno native, off-road adventurer and Drive Toward a Cure Ambassador Shelby Hall returns to Reno for Drive Toward a Cure’s ‘Music & Motion’ to support Parkinson’s disease and honor her grandfather Rod Hall’s legacy.
Dr. Deanna Brown Thomas returns to Reno, sharing the ‘Music & Motion’ her father James Brown provided the world, and remains an advocate for Parkinson’s disease.
Drive Toward a Cure’s ‘Music & Motion’ team benefitting the Parkinson Support Center of Northern Nevada – (left to right) Mindy Lokshin, Derek Torry, Lisa Lowhurst, Deidre and Tony Crescimanno, Carol Frimmer and Deb Pollack.
RENO, Nevada – April 20, 2025 – Former Le Mans winner and Nevada resident Davy Jones, renowned for his 1st place victory in 1996 24 Heures Le Mans, has returned to the winner’s circle once again while supporting national non-profit Drive Toward a Cure, and taking home 1st place albeit in a slower showcase, during the Foundation’s recent ‘Music & Motion’ Show ‘n Shine at the National Automobile Museum in Reno, NV. His crowd-pleasing 1971 Fiat 500 received both Hagerty’s ‘Choice’ Award and the Museum ‘Choice’ Award, besting among others, a display of hypercars, Porsche 911s, Mercedes Benz and Aston Martin entries.
Last Saturday’s Show ‘n Shine, while just a portion of the ‘Music & Motion’ Community Day fueled by Hagerty, was held at Reno’s most famous car Museum to celebrate Parkinson’s Awareness Month and benefit the Parkinson Support Center of Northern Nevada. The event additionally brought out numerous enthusiasts who were willing to show their own cars amidst the backdrop of more than 200+ museum favorites, ranging from recognizable movie cars to those of the Brass Era and modern-day motorsport machines. (see photo link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/N6skhk8tNNUC888P7 )
For the 2nd year, Drive Toward a Cure has come to Reno to support the more than 5,000 individuals living with Parkinson’s disease in the High Sierra Region. According to Deb Pollack, founder of Drive Toward a Cure, building awareness for Parkinson’s while utilizing various types of therapeutic and fitness regimens that can help to slow the progression of the disease, such as music and motion, was key in the event’s thematic approach.
“The more you speak with people, the more people seem to know someone with Parkinson’s disease, “ said Pollack. “But when you share the stories of some of the world’s most recognized performers like Linda Ronstadt, Neil Diamond, Muhammad Ali and Ozzy Osborne, somehow another perspective about the ongoing battles which the ‘everyday’ afflicted person faces become even more real,” she continued.
“Our goal was to show that all people with Parkinson’s can do great things – and that includes the individuals that challenge themselves to become motivated daily while gaining hope from the legends they recognize who are facing the same challenges.”
Last year’s ‘Music & Motion’ event in Reno was an evening event, with a women-celebrity panel discussion led by award-winning entertainer and producer Vanessa Williams and included Rasheda Ali Walsh (daughter of world heavyweight champion and ‘the Greatest’ Muhammad Ali), Dr. Deanna Brown Thomas (daughter of the Godfather of Soul, James Brown) and Reno-native, Shelby Hall (granddaughter of off-road titan and Parkinson’s warrior Rod Hall). Each of the women provided their own perspectives in dealing with the challenges their loved ones encountered – while still providing hope and inspiration throughout the world.
For 2025, both Shelby Hall and Dr. Deanna Brown Thomas were able to return to the Reno event again, showing their commitment to the ongoing advocacy for Parkinson’s. Ms. Brown shared a featurette from the recent A&E “Say it Loud” historical documentary she produced on behalf of her father’s life, and offered an additional Q&A session to a nearly full audience within the Museum’s theatre, and a message to ‘take good care of yourself,’ for a better now.
Each of the five museum galleries were renamed for the day to honor recognizable performers that had been living with Parkinson’s – including musicians and athletes. ‘The Muhammad Ali’ Gallery included a Rock Steady Boxing demonstration by the Carson City Tazmanian Boxing Club, owned by Cisco Figueroa, displaying the repetitive movements that help with mobility and stability. Additional documentaries including Linda Ronstadt’s ‘The Sound of My Voice’ were shown in the ‘James Brown Theatre.’
The ‘Legends of Motorsports’ gallery included a display of vehicles from the ‘Fast and Furious’ films as well as an on-screen vignette by award-winning documentarian Amy Lerner, highlighting Rod Hall’s impressive story — sharing his life-long passion for racing including his resilience in completing the Baja 1000 no less than fifty times, and his final finishes while coping with Parkinson’s disease.
Attendees were greeted with a ‘Passport to Parkinson’s’ booklet, presented by Land Rover Reno, which encouraged the visitation of all five galleries within the 115,000 square ft Museum – giveaways ranging from Dorinda’s Chocolate and Neau water, to Parkinson’s educational gifts were provided after earning individual ‘stamps’ from each gallery – a total of all five stamps earned an 11”x14” signed print from automotive fine artist Kelly Telfer.
Additional funds were raised through prize donations that included hospitality packages from The Row; Vegas Golden Knights; XtremeXperience; Reno Aces; JBL Audio; Cocomats; Griots Garage; the Kirk Gibson Foundation and Linda Ronstadt autographed books. Adobe Road Winery provided wine tasting, with additional food and beverages provided by IceCycle and Mary’s Mini’s food truck.
About Drive Toward a Cure:
National non-profit Foundation Drive Toward a Cure raises funds and awareness for Parkinson’s Disease research AND patient care by expanding our message throughout the automotive community at large. Inspired by the camaraderie found within the car culture, the organization’s mission benefits equally from both enthusiast communities and industry professionals. Drive Toward a Cure events harness enthusiasm for cars and driving and turn that power into support for ongoing work to improve the lives of those living with Parkinson’s, as well as the research that will hopefully one day lead to a cure. Since 2016, Drive Toward a Cure has raised more than one million dollars to support BOTH research AND patient care.
Drive Toward a Cure is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation supporting beneficiaries including The Michael J. Fox Foundation, the Parkinson’s Foundation, and numerous regional Centers of Excellence for Parkinson’s. Grants and scholarships are provided through Drive Toward a Cure’s ‘Access to Care’ and ‘Special Assistance’ grant funds, created to support challenged individuals and specific directive programs. For donations, sponsorship and event registration view www.drivetowardacure.org.
About Parkinson’s Disease:
Affecting nearly one million Americans and 10 million worldwide, Parkinson’s disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s and is the 14th-leading cause of death in the United States. The degeneration of dopamine-producing nerve cells can cause abnormal brain activity, leading to tremors, stiffness, rigidity, and impaired movement, as well as non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety). There is no cure for Parkinson’s and 90,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States alone, with 20 percent of those attributed to new cases of Young Onset Parkinson’s, (YOPD) afflicting patients 50 years-old and younger.
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